After creating a prayer closet in my former home, I realized two things. First, I realized that I should have carved out the space sooner. Second, I realized that I wanted the peaceful energy that was in my closet to permeate the rest of my house. I stopped praying in just one space and now make it a point to pray, sing, and worship all over my home – the bedroom, the living room, the kitchen – I want my whole house to feel like shalom…. not just the prayer closet.
I do think it’s wise to have a sacred space.
It’s comforting to have a sacred space, and there is power in spiritual ritual and discipline. It’s beautiful and calming to enter a familiar, light space and know exactly why you’re there. But I also think we need to remember to bless our entire house, and speak God’s love and goodness into each room.
I think that we shouldn’t have A sacred space, but rather our homes should be THE sacred space where we’re overwhelmed by an atmosphere of love and peace.
One of the easiest ways to consecrate your home is to incorporate consecration into your home cleaning routine. Before you clean a room, pray over it, consecrate it, and bless it.
Incorporate consecration into your cooking and meal prep – when you walk into the kitchen, bless the room and pray that good, healthy, delicious meals would come from the kitchen. One of my favorite verses for the kitchen is Exodus 23:25.
You can do something similar with your living and recreational areas – ask God to make them places where good memories are created – spaces of love and laughter.
There is an interesting concept in Judaism called Tikkun Olam, which is synonymous with social action and the pursuit of justice. Tikkun Olam means ‘World Repair’ and it’s the idea that your actions, the things that you do have the capacity to repair the world – a world that’s been broken by sin.
However, what we need more than world repair is Heart Repair.
King David understood the reality of heart repair and asked God in the Psalms to create in him a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit in him. David understood that if he was going to live a life that pleased God he needed a new heart. I believe that God gave David what he requested and answered his prayer, which is why we also read that David was a man after God’s own heart, because when your heart is clean, you seek His heart.
Thankfully, God is not just a God of repair, but He is a God of renewal because the world needs more than just repair – it needs to be renewed. Repairing the world simply won’t work because we ultimately need a new world altogether. In the New Testament, the disciple John records the future and says this:
The earth is so defiled and degraded; it’s beyond repair. This is not to say that God can’t repair the earth, because He is God, after all, He can repair anything. However, in the future, God is going to create something new.
It’s encouraging to know that we serve a God of renewal. Until our new world comes, we need heart renewal, and in the meanwhile, as we ask God to renew our hearts we can hold on to the promise of Yeshua, who said “Behold, I am making all things new.”
God loves you where you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay there. He doesn’t want you to stand still, stuck in time – He wants you to be better, know better, and choose better. God wants us to become more and more like Him. Below are just three things we need to do if we want to look more like Christ, and less like ourselves.
Pray – Christians without prayer are like fish without water. Prayer isn’t an option on the Christian journey – it’s a necessity. Prayer brings us closer to God and His Will for our lives.
Trust – This sounds so simple, and yet it’s so hard, and it’s so necessary. Peace comes when we remove trust in others, ourselves, and the things around us, and trust in Him. God has asked us repeatedly throughout scripture to trust Him.
CHOOSE to be faithful, Godly, and filled with love – Life is full of choices. We can choose blessings or cursings, and God wants us to choose blessings! Make the right choice, daily.
People usually make a snap judgment about you based on the clothes that you wear. Have you ever wondered what your clothing says about you?
Quite a few scientific studies have researched how clothing influences our perception. In one study, researchers asked 300 people to look at a man in a made-to-measure suit and then in a less expensive suit. Of course, people judged the man in the bespoke suit more favorably. Our impressions of others doesn’t stop with men in fancy suits. Even teachers make assumptions about a child’s academic ability based on their clothing.
Clothes don’t just shape what other people think about us; they even shape what we think about ourselves. A team of scientists discovered that when people dress to impress, they enhance their cognitive abilities. Dressing in fancy clothing makes a person think differently. It makes a person feel powerful, which changes their mental processes.
Romans 13:14 doesn’t tell us to dress up in formalwear, but it does tell us to wear Christ.
We talk a lot about walking with Christ, communing with Christ, loving Christ, following Christ, but we rarely discuss “Putting ON Christ.” What does it mean to wear Christ?
The Greek word used for ‘put on’ or ‘wear’ is the word endyō, which means to sink into something, and put it on as one wears clothes. According to Strong’s definition, this word can be literal or figurative. Gill’s exposition explains that we are to put on Christ as a person puts on clothes in the morning. The righteousness of Christ is compared to a garment, which covers our sins and imperfections.
Putting on Christ means placing our faith and hope in Him, trusting Him, submitting to Him, staying under His covering and living in His Presence. Choosing to think like Christ as we go about the day clothes us in His Grace. Choosing to meditate on Christ and His sacrifice clothes us in His Mercy as we go about our day.
We are to be completely clothed with Christ. He is to cover every inch of who we are. Any part that’s uncovered is exposed. The exposed parts are susceptible to the outside influences of the world. How do we stay completely covered? In the figurative sense, it is a submission of every area of our lives to Him. It means submitting habits, work, relationships, speech, thoughts, burdens, fears, and desires. When every area of our life is submitted to Him, we are clothed with His love, and we are wearing Christ.
When an armed robber burst through the door of a Christian store in Texas, the store owner didn’t submit to the threat. Instead, she told the robber to get out of her store “in the Name of Jesus.” The thief left the store immediately. The store owner was the epitome of a spiritually strong Christian. Below are ten traits of spiritually strong people.
1/ One characteristic evident in people who are spiritually strong is that they walk by faith, not by sight. They aren’t focused on circumstances; they’re only focused on God. They don’t worry about what’s going to happen because they fully trust God to take care of them. People who are spiritually weak, walk by sight. They focus on what they can make happen, instead of what God can make happen.
2/ Spiritually strong people carry the peace of God in their hearts. Spiritually strong people are not anxious. Anxiety has no agency over a spiritually strong person. The only force that has agency over a spiritually strong person is the Holy Spirit.
3/ The spiritually strong spend time with God. Moses was on the mountain with God for so long that the Israelites wondered what had become of him. Throughout Scripture we see men and women of God who dedicated themselves to prayer, worship and fasting for extended periods. David praised God seven times a day, and Daniel prayed at least three times a day – both were spiritually strong.
4/ Spiritually strong people have compassion for others. To be spiritually strong you have to have the Holy Spirit residing in you. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, and God loves people – John 3:16. The spiritually strong love others and they are kind, gentle, generous and patient.
5/ Spiritually strong people run TO God when they sin. In Psalm 51, David acknowledges his sins and pours out his heart before the Lord. David begs God to have mercy on him. Spiritually weak people run AWAY from God when they sin. But the spiritually strong run TO Him. The spiritually strong approach the throne of grace, believing fully in God’s mercy and love.
6/ Spiritually strong people are humble. Moses was very meek. Abraham and Joseph are also men of humility. Many of God’s servants throughout the Bible were humble.
7/ Spiritually strong people provoke others to jealousy. They are so close to God that others yearn for what they have spiritually. They cause others to want the fullness of the Holy Spirit operating in their lives. Yeshua provoked the Pharisees to jealousy. In the book of Acts, Stephen provoked the Sanhedrin to jealousy. Acts 6:15 states that the religious authorities saw that Stephen’s face was like the face of an angel. They became so jealous and enraged with Stephen that they killed him.
8/ Spiritually strong people are disciplined. Daniel decided that he was not going to partake in the King’s delicacies. Daniel was a disciplined man. (Daniel 1:8) Daniel didn’t allow the culture to dictate what was on his plate; he submitted to God in discipline and spiritual strength.
9/ Spiritually strong people are not afraid to take risks. We see this clearly in the book of Esther. Esther was afraid to approach the king, but she was willing to take the risk. Esther knew she needed spiritual strength. So Esther declared a three-day fast for herself and her servants. During the fast she increased her spiritual strength and took a risk that could’ve cost her life. She approached the king with the help of God.
10/ Spiritually strong people obey God rather than man. The spiritually strong don’t care what other people think of them. They are only concerned about whether or not they’ve pleased God. The disciples and apostles are great examples of spiritually strong people who obeyed God rather than man. The apostles preached Christ despite the opposition. They continued to be obedient to God despite the threats, imprisonments, and even death. Spiritually strong people are not afraid to die for the sake of the Gospel.
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Romans 12:11 is as simplistic as it sounds. Christians aren’t to be slothful or lazy in their zealousness. They are to be fervent in their spirit as they serve God. Sounds simple enough on the surface, but let’s dig deeper into the Greek!
In the Greek, the word used for zeal is the word spoude, which means earnestness and diligence. This word is used in reference to promoting an earnestness in promoting or striving after anything. In other words, Christians are not to be lazy in promoting and striving after God. Christians are to be active participants in a world that is growing darker by the day.
The second half of the sentence admonishes Christians to be fervent in spirit and serve the Lord. In the Greek, the word for fervent is Zeo, which translates as boiling with heat or to be hot. This phrase in Romans 12:11 is reminiscent of what we see in the book of Revelation when God tells the church of Laodicea that they are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. The church in Laodicea lacked the fervency in spirit spoken of in Romans 12:11.
Clarke’s Commentary and Barnes’ Notes eloquently state what is meant by Romans 12:11. Clark states that fervency in spirit is only doing at all times what is to the glory of God, and doing everything as unto Him with a fully engaged heart. He also writes that Christians should aim to please Him, living their lives with simplicity and purity.
Barnes says something slightly different. Barnes believes that this scripture reveals a few things: Barnes first explains that the scripture teaches the value of time. Romans 12:11 begins with the command to not be lazy. Indolence hasn’t just taken over the Western world but has also crept into the church. Many Christians are just as lazy as people who don’t know God – lazy in both their secular and spiritual affairs. Of course, God commands the opposite – telling us to work hard in every area of our lives. Barnes also explains that the scripture is a reminder of the numerous and important things that are to be done.
Our lives on the earth are filled with purpose. We are to live with a zeal for God and the things of God! And we are to be fervent in spirit. So, let’s increase our zeal and fervency. Consider the points below as you fulfill the mandate of Romans 12:11:
1. Pray, worship, fast, and read scripture. Those who lack zeal and fervency or those who feel far from God. Redevelop a deep relationship with the Creator through prayer, worship, fasting and the reading of Scripture.
2. Use your natural and spiritual talents. God has given every Christian both natural and spiritual gifts. No one is without a talent. Use the talents that God has given you to bless others.
3. Be consistent. Water doesn’t boil immediately, and zeal doesn’t always occur overnight, but awakens in the believer and grows as they draw near to Christ. Increase your spiritual temperature over time by staying consistent in using your gifts and talents and deepening your relationship with God.
God desires to spend time with us. He wants us to live in His Presence. Many Christians are too busy for God – too busy with work obligations, family obligations, chores, errands, and entertainment. They are too busy to spend time with Him. Yet, time with the Father is so crucial to our spiritual well-being that throughout Scripture we are told to pray (communicate with Him), fast (draw closer to Him), and worship and fellowship both alone and with other believers (simply spend time with Him).
If you don’t make daily appointments with God, 2016 is a great year to start. Below is a simple How-to guide for spending more time in the Father’s presence.
– Make an appointment. Treat this appointment with respect and consistency. You aren’t just meeting with your Heavenly Father – You are meeting with the King of Kings. If the president wanted a meeting with you, you wouldn’t tell him you’re too busy to talk; instead, you’d rush to the meeting. When you make an appointment with the Creator of the Universe, keep it.
– Cancel and block out any distractions. You would never meet with a friend for coffee and then stare at your phone the entire time. Instead, you would be focused on your friend if you wanted the relationship to grow. If you want your relationship with God to grow, you need to focus on Him. I once heard Robert Morris illustrate just how important his time with the Father is. After one of Morris’ church members had given a very large donation, he requested a morning meeting with Pastor Morris. Robert explained that he was not going to meet with him because mornings was his daily appointment with God. Pastor Morris couldn’t be bought. Don’t let anything or anyone buy your time.
– Look forward to your time with Him. If you treat your appointments with God like a religious obligation, rather than a blessed, beautiful event, you’ll quickly burn out. It is an honor to sit in His Presence. If there is any part of you that dreads the thought of spending time with Him, pray that God would give you a longing and strong desire to spend time with Him. God CAN change the desires of your heart.
Making daily appointments with God will strengthen you spiritually. They will help you grow in faith. Your daily appointments are sources of joy and renewal. And remember that those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. Be blessed for 2016!
Happiness experts all agree that it’s not what you have that makes you happy, but rather what you do and who you know. Despite evidence that things don’t make us happy, people still reach for stuff as if it might bring some joy to their lives. But the idea that stuff makes us happy isn’t the only belief that holds people back from happiness. There are a few other beliefs that keep people in a place of discontentment. Below are four beliefs that you need to ditch if you want to be happy.
The belief that you aren’t good enough. Low self-esteem and feelings of unworthiness bring unhappiness. In scripture, Satan is referred to as the “Accuser of the brethren.” He is a finger-pointer who attempts to bring shame and condemnation into the life of God’s children. If you want to be happy, you can’t live under condemnation. Instead, you must live in freedom, believing that the grace of God is sufficient for your weakness.
The belief that you aren’t loved. God loves you. You are loved. You are cherished by Him. You are not forgotten. We were created to be social creatures, and we are designed for relationships and love – so it is perfectly natural to yearn for love, approval, and acceptance. Thankfully, God loves, approves and accepts us.
The belief that your life needs to be perfect for you to be happy. Life will never be perfect. There will always be messes, bumps in the road, psychological fires to put out, and missteps. No one has a perfect life. If you wait for your life to be perfect before you choose happiness, then you’ll be waiting all your life. Choose to be happy even when life is a mess because perfection is unrealistic.
The belief that a bad past holds sway over your future. When people have a bad past, they are often fearful that their future has already been written, and that it won’t work out for their good. But scripture says the opposite: Romans 8:28 states that all things work together for the good to them that love God, and are called according to His purpose. Do you love God? Are you called to His purpose? Then things will work out for you, and your past has no sway over your future.
BOHO + THEO 